


Veiled Longing

by kamiosusanoo



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), M rating for alcohol/drug themes and sexual implications, M/M, Mutual Pining, and kaoru is rei's coworker, au where rei is a bartender and keito is an office worker, mini slow burn?, reikao brotp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 02:41:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11568621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamiosusanoo/pseuds/kamiosusanoo
Summary: Keito takes a step further than he usually would, and Rei meets him there.





	Veiled Longing

Sheets of gray clouded the skies above Keito as he walked through the city streets. On his way back from work, he would typically take a straight path back to his apartment, but today, Keito decided on a whim to take a separate way, in an attempt to find out if it were more scenic. He fumbled with his smartphone that he didn’t exactly care for, opening up Google maps to find his way around, then became irritated to see notifications popping up and blocking his view of the map; emails from his boss regarding paperwork that needed to be done. Keito shoved thoughts of unfinished work to the back of his mind, directing his attention instead to taking in every aspect of the new street he’d chosen to walk down.

Keito took note of plants growing in window gardens of high rise apartments, as well as charming smaller gardens that people managed to keep near their staircases. He continued walking, his gaze wandering around and taking in the sights, until a bright neon sign caught his eye. He adjusted his glasses, taking time to study the sign that read “Undead Bar” in a vivid purple light. In addition to its lettering and skull motifs, the sign had a lit-up arrow, which pointed downward into a shady underground passage. The sign and passageway seemed rather out of place to Keito, as he walked through such an upscale neighborhood, but his curiosity got the best of him, and his stress from earlier made him suddenly crave a drink, so he decided to step further below, into the mysterious building.

As he set foot inside, a relaxed and dark atmosphere overcame him. Keito found himself a seat near the door, noticing how the bar seemed to be serving only a handful of customers. He looked down to adjust his shirt sleeves, and when he looked up again, a tall, dark haired man stood before him.

“Hey there.” the bartender greeted him. “Anything I can get you for that long face?”

“Hmph.” Keito frowned, now made aware of his poor expression, he unconsciously made it worse. “I’ll have some sake, if you don’t mind.”

“Well, we have an array to choose from...” Rei stated. “Would you like to know more?”

“I’m good,” he answered, sounding fatigued. “Just pick one for me.”

“Okay then~” Rei turned around to face the cabinet, reaching up and grabbing two bottles from the top shelf.

Keito’s eyes followed the bartender as he fixed his drink, finding something about this his movements particularly easy to look at. Keito’s scowl likely worsened as he squinted his eyes, trying to place exactly what about this unknown man that he found himself so fixated on, until his thoughts were interrupted.

“Saketini,” Rei smiled, placing a small glass in front of him, decorated with tiny bat motifs. “Gin and sake, you can’t go wrong.”

“Thanks.” Keito took a sip, Rei watching on intently.

“So?”

“Hm...” Keito’s scowl faded slightly. “It’s good.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Rei turned his back to Keito again, starting to sort bottles in the cabinet.

“Hey, is this place new?”

“As in, has this bar always been here?” Rei responded, his back still turned. “Well, it’s about a year or so old now, probably.”

“Yeah, I was just asking because I’ve never seen or heard of it before.”

“Well, it is a little out of the way,” Rei chuckled. “Though, that’s part of its charm.”

Keito nodded, sipping more of his drink. He could feel the tightness in his shoulders start to slip away, and soon enough, he was looking down into an empty glass.

“Care for another?” 

“If you don’t mind.” Keito nudged the glass to where Rei could more easily reach it. As Rei concocted his second drink, Keito pushed up his glasses, taking a moment to look around him. He noticed a tall blonde man at the other end of the bar, wearing the same uniform that Rei did. The other bartender appeared to be in a heated discussion with a few older gentlemen.

“Here you are.” Rei slid the small glass back across the wooden lacquer surface.

“Are they regular customers...?” Keito asked, glancing back to his side.

“Oh, those old guys?” Rei laughed. “Yeah, they basically keep this place running. For some reason, they love to get into it with Hakaze.”

“Hakaze?”

“Ah, that’s the bartender name,” Rei pointed. “A fun guy, best coworker I’ve ever had.”

“Coworker, huh.” Keito took a sip of his drink. “That sounds nice.”

“Yeah, it’s not bad working here.” Rei put some bottles underneath the counter, offering Keito another smile. “Say, you look like the hardworking type. What kind of work do you do?”

“I’m an accountant.” Keito sighed. “Though, my occupation is rather dull, compared to yours.”

“Hm, but I think every type of work has its merit.” Rei replied. “Teachers, idols, they’re just as important as cup bearers like me, or button pushers like you... it takes all kinds to make a world.”

Keito nodded, a bit drawn in by the bartender’s manner of speech.

“Oh, how rude of me to ask such a question without asking your name first, though.”

“Hasumi.” Keito’s lips curved upwards, so slightly that Rei almost missed it. “Hasumi Keito.”

“Sakuma Rei,” he did a small bow. “It’s my pleasure to serve you this evening, Hasumi.”

“Do you give that line to every customer?” Keito asked, taking another sip.

“Hell no, at least, not to the men over there,” Rei looked back to the other side of the bar. “I leave that to Hakaze.”

“I’m sure your coworker really appreciates that.” Keito put his drink down, his smile now more visible.

“Well, that’s what friends are for, right?” Rei laughed, looking down to Keito’s empty glass. “Got it in you for one more?”

“No thank you, Sakuma.” Keito waved, gathering himself to head out of the door. “I’ll... have to return another time.”

“Alright then, come again soon~” Rei waved in return, a grin lasting on his face.

~~~

A few weeks passed by, and Keito found himself becoming a weekend customer at Undead Bar. At the end of his long work week, Keito made a habit of walking down the path he had taken on a whim, the thought of Rei standing behind the counter unconsciously leading him. Keito started to sip his drinks slower, so as to have a reason to stay longer and chat. A lover of long conversations, Keito found that Rei never ran out of interesting things to say, and so he listened and responded to him in contentment. Keito’s inquisitive nature sometimes kept Rei talking for hours, which he quietly enjoyed.

“And so, yeah, my brother and I don’t really talk much anymore...” Rei said, sounding defeated.

“That’s too bad,” Keito traced his fingers around the bottom of his glass. “Although, I can understand, that’s just how relationships go sometimes.”

“You have siblings?”

“Just an older brother,” Keito answered. “We don’t get along too well either... I’m not sure, it might just be more difficult with brothers.”

“Perhaps that’s so.” Rei put a hand on his chin. “Anyway, how did that thing with your boss go?”

“Well, he implemented a huge change in operating everything,” Keito replied. “But only told us afterward, so we had no time to adjust… He’s such an asshole, it makes my head hurt.”

“Good thing some new drinks just came in, then~” Rei reached under the cabinet to pull out a piece of paper that looked to be a receipt. “My boss ordered a ton of new stuff, and Hakaze and I still have to test some of it out, but it looks promising.”

“Oh yeah, I thought the taste of my drink was a little different…” Keito noted, looking down to his glass.

“I just used a similar sake to the one I’ve been using, how is it?”

“Well, I think the taste is sort of like...” Keito’s voice trailed off, and the words he was searching for suddenly floated away as music filled the air.

“Oh, would you look at that,” Rei laughed. “I guess a customer decided to use the piano?”

“This is what you’d call ragtime, right?”

“Yeah, it always sounded kind of silly to me.” Rei answered. “Like a kid playing around.”

After the older gentleman customer finished playing, he headed back to his seat, where Kaoru served him another drink.

“Do you know much about piano?”

“Me?” Rei replied. “Not really, other than teaching myself some when I was younger.”

“Oh, so you know how to play?”

“Not really, well... I can probably only remember one song, one that I taught myself.” Rei’s eyes glinted.

“Why don’t you go try it out, then?” Keito requested, feeling that the bar was too quiet now that the customer had stopped playing.

“Hm, why not.” Rei was a bit taken aback by Keito’s request, but he walked around the bar nonetheless. He dusted off the piano bench before taking a seat, then began playing.

Keito’s eyes widened, as he recognized the song within the first few seconds. Looking on as Rei’s fingers dance around, Keito found that something about it made Keito’s chest feel tight. He began to fiddle with his tie, distracting himself from being moved.

Upon finishing the song, light applause filled the air, and Keito smiled gently before returning to his drink. Rei walked back around the bar, returning to shining a glass as if he never left.

“That wasn’t bad.”

“Really,” Rei laughed. “I thought I’d sound awful after not playing for such a long time, but... I guess I remembered the song after all.”

“The song...” Keito looked at Rei. “Wasn’t that Killua’s theme, from Hunter x Hunter?”

“Well, well,” Rei smiled. “I didn’t really expect you to know that.”

“I used to keep up with the manga when I was in school,” Keito responded. “I really admired the progression of Togashi’s art style as the series went on.”

“The art style, hm.” Rei blinked. “Are you into that sort of thing?”

“As in, art?” Keito took a sip of his drink. “Well, sort of... I enjoy drawing, but only in my free time, which I don’t seem to have much of these days.”

“How interesting...” Rei put his glass under the counter. “Did you happen to have a favorite character?”

“Well, I remember being a fan of Knov.” Keito replied. “His nen ability was my favorite, and he sort of reminded me of myself.

“Ah, I can see it,” Rei laughed. “With the glasses and everything.”

Keito frowned, turning away. Little did he know, Rei meant for his words to come out more as a compliment.

“Anyway, I couldn’t help but love Killua~” Rei sang. “His hatred for his big brother reminded me a bit of my own situation… and not just that, he’s badass, so I got inspired to learn his theme.”

“Mm,” Keito finished his drink. “Being inspired like that is nice, to try something new.”

“Yes, it is…” Rei nodded in agreement, turning back around to the cabinet. “By a character...” he thought to himself. “Or by a person… I also love that kind of inspiration, Hasumi.”

~~~

One Friday, heavy rain poured from the sky as Keito headed into Undead Bar. Closing his umbrella, Keito walked down into the passageway and opened the door to be met with surprise, as he saw more customers inside than ever before.

“Good evening, Hasumi,” Rei waved from the other side of the bar, bottles in both of his hands. “I’ll be right with you, I just gotta serve these others.”

“No problem, take your time.” Keito waved in return, finding his seat at the end of the bar. He watched as Rei poured a series of drinks artfully, taking care to make sure that every other customer was satisfied, before heading back to Keito.

“Must be a busy night.”

“Yeah, there’s never been this many customers.” Rei replied. “Hakaze’s been making sure I do my part.”

Rei mixed Keito’s drink, pushing it across the wooden surface, now used to the motion.

“It must be good to have business picking up, though.”

“Yeah, my wallet certainly appreciates it.” Rei smiled. “And the types of customers that are starting to come in are pretty interesting.”

“How so?”

“Like, this one guy who tried to sell me counterfeit watches,” Rei chuckled. “He was something else.”

“Yeah, those types of guys can be crazy.” Keito responded, glancing next to him. “These guys sort of look like... a biker gang, though?”

“You just might be right about that,” Rei began shining a glass. “But who knows, as long as they’re buying drinks, I’m happy.”

Keito nodded, sipping his drink in silence for a bit, then looking around him once he suddenly smelled smoke. A customer at the other end of the bar had lit up a cigarette, and Keito observed as the smoking man walked toward a jukebox that Keito had never noticed was there before. Seeming to be encouraged by other customers, he shoved his money into the machine, jazz music escaping as a reward.

Keito turned away from the scene to face forward again, and when he met Rei’s eyes, there was something inside them that Keito had never seen before.

“I love this song...” Rei stopped shining his glass. “It makes me want to dance.”

“You know how to dance?” Keito put down his drink.

“Well, jazz dancing is kind of my thing.”

Rei turned to get himself a bottle from the cabinet, then proceeded to pour himself a shot.

“Is that allowed for bartenders...?”

“Not really, but you won’t tell anyone, will you?” Rei smirked, taking his own shot. Now filled with spirit, he walked around the counter.

“I could show you some basic moves, if you want.”

Keito looked into Rei’s eyes once again, and somehow found himself unable to refuse.

“Hm… why not.” Keito stood up from his seat. “Dancing is a good skill to have, I guess.”

“Indeed~” Rei replied. “And, I’m not a huge fan of loud noises, but, would you mind turning that up for me?”

Keito nodded, heading toward the jukebox that he had spotted earlier in the corner. As his vision slightly wavered from his earlier drinks, Keito silently questioned himself, wondering why he suddenly felt so eager.

“If I’m not mistaken, this floor has never been used before...” Rei extended his hand to Keito. “Shall we?”

Feeling compelled, Keito accepted the offer. As the two of them glided around the floor together, Keito felt himself slightly shaking, and his face felt hot as he tried to keep up with Rei’s smooth movements.

“You look like you’re having a lot of fun.” Rei commented, noting Keito’s pained expression.

“I’m sorry…” Keito turned away from Rei. “My face doesn’t tend to show how I’m feeling.”

“Well, that’s a relief.” Rei laughed. “C’mon, just let loose a little~”

Keito sighed, doing his best to follow Rei’s advice. Somehow finding it difficult to make eye contact, Keito directed his wavering vision instead to Rei’s torso, which he immediately regretted doing. A black cross necklace accentuated his collarbone, making Keito’s mind drift even further away from what his body was supposed to be doing.

They continued dancing together for only a few more seconds, as the song was almost over when they came to the floor. Once the music stopped, Rei separated from Keito, meeting him with a smile.

“You’re not bad, you just need practice, that’s all~” Rei sang, promptly walking back behind the bar. Hearing Keito follow behind him and sit back down at the bar, Rei turned around to face the cabinet.

“Thank you… Sa… kuma…”

Keito’s eyes started to close, and his elbows slid off of the counter.

“Don’t mention it...” Rei turned around, suddenly stunned to not see Keito sitting there as per usual. “Hasumi...!!”

Kaoru saw Keito hit the floor just as Rei did, and immediately stopped what he was doing to run towards him.

“Oh my god…” Rei ran a hand through his hair. “Hakaze, what are we gonna do?”

“Well, I could go and get Otogari & Oogami to take care of him... it’s been a while, but isn’t that like, our standard procedure for these kinds of customers?”

“No! We can’t do that...” Rei looked at his friend pleadingly. “Wait, I have an idea.”

“An idea? Explain.”

“I’ll take him back to my place. Could you cover for me?”

“You crazy bastard…” Kaoru sighed. “But I guess we have no other choice, then...? I’ll tell something to the boss, you owe me for real though.”

“I promise, I’ll make it up to you.” Rei was surprisingly built for his lean body, hoisting Keito up by his arms and carrying him bridal style out of the front door. He would have never done this, if it weren’t for his apartment being within walking distance, Rei told himself.

Much to Rei’s relief, the heavy rain from earlier that night had now turned into a light drizzle. Tiny drops of water dampened his clothes as well as Keito’s, and Rei could feel himself attracting gazes of others as he walked down the street, but he disregarded them. Upon arriving to his apartment, Rei took care in placing Keito down, facing his back against the side of the building. He then rummaged through his pockets for his house key, and turned the lock to open the door.

“Nnngh…” As Rei went to hoist Keito up again, his groan made him pause, but Rei shook his head and picked Keito up again. Heading into the apartment elevator, the two of them rose to the top floor in what felt like an eternity, as Rei’s arms began to burn.

As soon as Rei turned the doorknob to enter his room, he sighed in relief. He needed to put Keito down soon, before the energy in his arms drained completely.

“Mmm, Sssakuma…” Keito moaned, suddenly starting to move his hands around Rei’s neck. “Playy mme....”

Rei sharply inhaled, knowing that he needed to disregard anything that Keito did in his intoxication. He wouldn’t be able to stand it if he responded to Keito as he was now, he absolutely couldn’t do that.

“Likee a piiiannno...” Keito slurred badly, then pressed his lips onto Rei’s neck, the sensation almost making Rei throw him on the floor in reaction. Before his body could betray him, Rei finally lifted Keito down onto his bed, then ran out into the hallway of his apartment.

“Hey, Hakaze?” Rei held up his phone, hands trembling.

“What’s up? You’re at your apartment now with Hasumi, right?”

“Yeah, he started blabbering, and,” Rei stopped to catch his breath. “I think someone must have laced his drink.”

“Oh, shit.” Kaoru gasped on the other end.

“I don't know what drug it could be, but I can’t believe I let it happen… I mean, I’ve been the one serving him every time, ever since he started coming around, and I had my eyes on him the whole night!” 

“When haven’t you had your eyes on him?” Kaoru sighed. “Honestly, don’t beat yourself up. With so many people at the bar tonight, I'm somehow not surprised.”

“I know, I just...” Rei’s voice was pained. “Still feel like shit about it.”

“Well, all I can tell you is try and keep your cool, and be the Sakuma I know.” Kaoru replied. “If he started talking to you, then whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not that bad?”

“Hakaze… thank you.” Rei cleared his throat. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“I do my best. Now I gotta go take care of business.”

“See ya.” Rei hung his phone up with a tap, then composed himself again, walking back inside his room to see Keito, now fully unconscious. He sighed and pulled up a chair to his bedside, looked over at Keito in his drug induced state, and started to wonder if everything that had happened in the past month or so was just in his mind. He tried desperately to lead his thoughts away, further from how composed Keito looked, lying in front of him in bodily disrepair. Rei sat by his bedside for a few more moments, then stood up to reach down to his face, gently moving some of Keito’s hair away to remove his glasses and set them on the bedside table.

“What have you done to me...”

Rei took off his jacket and pants, slid into his storeroom, and lied in his coffin for the night.

~~~

In late afternoon of the next day, rays from the fast setting sun filtered through Rei’s black window curtains, shining onto dark red blankets that covered Keito.

“This bed feels different from my own...” Keito first thought upon waking up.

Keito was used to his eyesight being poor in the morning, as he did wear glasses, but the more he felt the blankets on top of him and looked around, the more he started to realize that he was definitely not in his own room. His heartbeat quickening from panic, Keito reached around him to search for his glasses, feeling a touch of relief to find them on the bedside table.

“Ah, you’re awake.”

When Keito put on his glasses to see Rei walking towards him, his mind blanked. Without thinking, Keito hastily threw off his covers and tried to get up from the bed, only to be halted by a jolt of pain that ran through his insides.

“Ahh!” Before Keito could stumble, Rei managed to catch him.

“Hey, take it easy,” Rei sighed. “I know you’re probably wondering why you’re here.”

“Agh, y-yes, I am…” Keito relaxed a little, Rei helping him to lie back down on the bed.

“Well, I’ll explain.” Rei folded his arms. “Someone spiked your drink last night at the bar, so I brought you back to my place to make sure you turned out okay.”

Keito stayed silent, his mind now working to understand the situation.

“It was under my watch, I shouldn’t have left the bar in the first place... I just want to say that I’m sorry, Hasumi.” Rei looked away, not knowing what response to expect from Keito.

“Sakuma… I’m sorry for troubling you. I usually don’t take my eyes off of my drink.”

When Rei met Keito’s gaze again, he was taken aback to see that Keito’s typical cool expression had turned warm.

“It’s no trouble, really, but um…” Rei played with his hair. “Just curious, how much do you remember from last night?”

Keito pushed up his glasses. “Hm, I can remember that someone turned on the jukebox, and that I danced with someone, although I can’t seem to remember who…”

Rei cleared his throat, moving his eyes away from Keito.

But Keito’s gaze lingered on Rei for a few seconds longer, traveling down to his neck. When he spotted Rei’s black cross necklace, Keito recalled who it was that he danced with right away.

“Well, anyways, I’ll get you a painkiller.”

Keito felt heat rise to his cheeks. Shaking his head, he looked down and sighed, noticing that he was still wearing his office wear, tie and all. He then looked back up to see Rei at the other side of the small apartment room, rummaging through what appeared to be his kitchen area.

“These should be good enough, but I have other stuff, if it doesn’t work.” Rei walked back to his bed, putting a glass of water and some medicine onto his bedside table.

“Thanks--” Keito reached his arm out to the table, but stopped when he felt Rei’s arm on his.

“Wait! I forgot,” Rei quickly let go of his arm, eyes darting away. “You have to eat something before taking that, or you’ll throw up... Gimme another sec.”

Keito nodded, sitting up more in the bed. A few seconds later, Rei returned holding a bag in his hands, offering it to Keito.

“It’s just some rice cakes,” Rei sat down at the chair by his bedside. “I’m pretty sure those are easy on the stomach, for someone who’s not feeling well?”

“Thank you.” Keito nodded again, tentatively opening the bag to glance inside.

“Oh, and um, since you’re still wearing your office clothes, I have some spare sleep clothes,” Rei added, getting up once again to go and search through his drawers. “If you wanna change in the bathroom.”

“Sakuma, thank you…” Keito sighed. “But I must know, is there any way that I could pay you back later for this?”

Rei blinked, not entirely sure of Keito’s words.

“Like, should I paypal you or something…?”

“No, really, it’s okay,” Rei laughed, sounding nervous. “I… don’t have visitors to my apartment too often, so the least I can do is be hospitable, especially with what happened to you.”

“Well… if you insist.” Keito sighed, accepting Rei’s small pile of folded clothes. Keito made his best effort to get out of the bed without Rei’s assistance this time, then made his way into the bathroom that Rei had pointed out earlier, promptly shutting the door behind him.

“Sakuma... ” Keito thought to himself, yanking off his tie that had long felt suffocating around his neck. “There’s still a lot that I don’t know about you, but more than anything, I’d like to know, from what place is your kindness to me coming from…” he stared at himself in the mirror. Seeing that his face looked rosy, Keito wondered if he was feverish. “Why didn’t you just leave me be, or call an ambulance or something… that would have been better… Unless, Sakuma, you...”

A ringing noise sliced through the haze of his mind; his beloved work phone.

“Ugh, my boss left a message,” Keito cleared his throat, pulling out his phone to dial his office number from memory. “I need to call him back.” Keito wasn’t planning on using his sick days any time soon, but his circumstances didn’t leave him with many options.

After explaining his ordeal, Keito hung up his phone with a sigh, then splashed his face with cold water from Rei’s sink, both to cool his face and to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. He unfolded the pile of clothes that Rei had lent him, and couldn’t help but laugh under his breath. He wasn’t sure what the word meant, but the shirt read ‘DEADMANZ’ in gold, glittery lettering on purple and black fabric. As tacky as he thought the design was, Keito unbuttoned his dress shirt to slip the t-shirt on, finding the material surprisingly comfortable. He then took off his dress pants to wear the sleep shorts that Rei lent him, which also felt nice on his skin.

After changing, Keito folded his office wear, then took a moment to look around Rei’s bathroom. He found the decor of the room dusky, similar to what he saw of Rei’s main room, and shelves above his bathtub held what appeared to be bath salts, candles, empty liquor bottles, and other occult items that Keito wasn’t sure about. Feeling fatigue start to slowly creep back into him, Keito took a deep breath, exhaling before he left the bathroom to return again to the main room.

“Thanks again, the clothes fit fine.”

Rei didn’t know what he expected when he lent Keito his spare sleep clothes, but it definitely wasn’t almost choking on his tomato juice that he had taken a sip of moments earlier. In his t-shirt and shorts, Keito’s figure was much more visible, no longer hidden away behind office clothes like how Rei was used to seeing him. Rei cursed himself, dragging his eyes away from Keito before they could stay a second too long.

“That’s good,” Rei managed to find his voice, grabbing a book from the table beside him to stare down at intently.

“What kind of book is that, if you don’t mind me asking?” Keito inquired after a few moments, now eating a rice cake.

“Oh, it’s actually a book about gardening,” Rei glanced up again, relieved to see that Keito had returned underneath the covers. “I’ve been trying to think of a house plant that I wanna grow.”

“Hm, did you have any ideas?”

“Well,” Rei replied. “All I know is I’d need something that’s easy to take care of, since I’m kinda lazy sometimes... that, and I’m actually rather afraid of killing the plant~”

“Is that so,” Keito put a hand on his chin. “Well, I have a red edged dracaena at my place, and it’s pretty low maintenance… Plus, it filters toxins and pollutants from the air.”

“Really,” Rei smiled. “I just might have to get myself one of those, then.”

Keito nodded, finally taking the painkiller that Rei had put onto the bedside table.

“Ah, I’ve gotta get to work soon, it’s almost the evening.” Rei looked at his watch, putting down his book. “Feel free to keep resting for another night, though.”

“Are you sure…?”

“Yeah, really,” Rei replied, grabbing his work outfit and going toward the bathroom to change. “It’s no trouble.”

“Okay, then…” Keito lied on his back in the bed, staring into the ceiling. Within a few minutes, he started to feel relief from the medicine kicking in.

“And by the way, feel free to take a book from my shelf or something,” Rei announced, now out of the bathroom and dressed again in his bartender outfit, how Keito was used to seeing him. “I’m not a huge fan of reading, but I’d say that my shelf has some decent books.”

“Sakuma...” Keito glanced to the bookshelf, then back to Rei. “Thank you again.”

“Don’t mention it. Hasumi, it’s just that…” Rei paused at his door frame. “Ah, nevermind.”

Before Keito could respond, Rei had already walked out of the door, leaving Keito alone with nothing but his last words, followed by a short ‘see ya’.

“Hm, I wonder what he was going to say...” Keito stood up to grab a book from the shelf, then lied back down on his side. He flipped through a few pages, before deeply sighing and forcefully closing the book, along with his eyes.

As much as he wanted to read before he slept, Keito found his mind had other plans. He thought of the night before, now able to recall it vividly, as opposed to his earlier memory loss, and wondered if Rei’s necklace had somehow put a curse on him. Keito’s mind honed in on how he felt in the moment, and how his feelings of excitement from yesterday night were so vastly different than what he was used to. Then he thought about his current situation, and how he had pretended not to notice, but barely caught onto Rei’s look when he had changed clothes earlier. He didn’t know what it meant, but something about his train of thought started to make his insides twist. Keito ran his hands through his hair, worried that he’d give himself a headache or worse if he let thoughts of Rei float around his mind for too long. He switched off the light and set his glasses on the bedside table, shortly praying to the gods that he’d be back to normal by tomorrow, and it wasn’t long before sleep enveloped him.

~~~

A few hours past midnight, Rei turned the lock to his apartment door. The sun was still hidden behind the horizon, and his room was pitch black, so Rei used his phone flashlight to see in front of him, mindful of how Keito must still be sleeping in his bed. Making his way to his storeroom as quietly as he could, Rei opened his coffin, planning to get a nap in before dawn, when he’d rise to wait until Keito woke up again.

However, Rei’s stealth in walking across the room wasn’t quite enough, as when he opened his coffin door, he heard rustling from the next room. He sighed, shutting his coffin and leaving his storeroom to return to his main room.

“You’re awake again,” Rei commented, seeing that Keito had turned on the lamp on the bedside table and was now at his feet, standing to face Rei in the dim light.

"Sakuma, I have to go,” Keito said, contradicting himself. Nothing waited for him back at his apartment but piles of work, which he wanted to avoid more than anything, but he put up a front. “I've overstayed my welcome."

"Or, you could stay," Rei grabbed Keito’s arm, looking him in the eyes. “I mean, I could stay in my storeroom, but I’ll be honest, that’s what I was gonna say last night before I left... that I want you to stay.”

Keito stood still, not moving from Rei’s grasp.

“I dunno, it’s been kinda cool to have someone in my apartment,” Rei released his grip on Keito’s arm, moving his eyes away. “Like a roommate... or something.”

“Roommate?” Keito offered Rei a blank look.

Rei blinked, his mind sorting through his feelings, as well as searching for a response to Keito.

“If you’re going to be honest with me, then do so.” Keito folded his arms. “I somehow get the feeling you don’t see me that way.”

“Ah, you’ve managed to see through me, how should I say this, I…”

Keito was silent, waiting for Rei to continue.

“I just... see you as someone special.” he answered. “Since I tend to keep some sort of distance with people, I’m sorta realizing that don’t want to keep doing that so much... Because if I did, then I wouldn’t have gotten to know you, Hasumi.”

"Well, I guess I’ll be upfront as well…” Keito looked down, his arms unfolded. “It’s the weekend, so I don’t have work.”

Rei tilted his head, a bit confused.

“I lied, I don’t have to go anywhere... I guess I just wanted to see what would happen.” Keito bit his lip. “I didn’t know that you felt that way.”

“Am I that hard to read?” Rei laughed. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t apologize.” Keito looked to his side. He wanted to say something more, but found that his voice somehow escaped him.

“Hasumi, do you wanna know what I think?” Rei took a step toward Keito, closing an already small distance between them. “I think we should both be more honest.”

Keito froze at Rei’s touch, watching as the tips of Rei's fingers subtly traveled up his own arm.

“You know, I usually sleep during the day, but I’m feeling kind of awake right now...” Rei showed a smile, different from any that Keito had seen before.

“You…” Keito managed to get out, barely a whisper. His eyes widened, and he felt disarmed, but even so, Keito found himself silently wishing for Rei to continue.

Rei’s fingers traced on, tauntingly running past Keito’s shoulders, now holding on to his face.

“Are you feeling awake, Hasumi?” Rei’s smile continued, his dark eyes reaching inside Keito.

Keito’s voice remained nowhere to be found, so he answered differently, by pulling Rei’s necklace towards him with force, their lips came together.

Rei’s hand moved to the back of Keito’s neck, running lightly through his hair, and his other hand held Keito’s hand tightly. Their lips met for only a few moments, until Keito pulled away.

“Sakuma…” Keito let go of his grip on Rei’s necklace, bringing his hand to lightly touch his lips. He found that Rei tasted faintly like alcohol, which didn’t really surprise him. What Keito was surprised by was his own rapid heartbeat, and he started to wonder if Rei was able to hear it.

“Yes?” Rei looked back at Keito attentively. “Do you wanna stop?”

“No, I…” Keito’s face tinted red. “I think we should continue.”

“Mm~” Rei hummed in agreement. Moving slightly behind him, Rei bumped into the side of his bed, causing him to sit down abruptly. As he still held onto Keito’s hand, Rei found that Keito now hovered over him.

“Whatever you’re thinking, you can go ahead,” Rei stated, moving back on his bed so that he now sat at the headboard.

In lieu of a response, Keito nodded, following his own energy as it brought him closer to Rei. He now sat in seiza style on the bed in front of Rei, his face redder than before.

“Hasumi, are you ok?” Rei offered Keito a modest smile, now moving onto his knees as well.

“Ah, sorry, it’s just,” Keito looked to his side. “I’ve never been in a situation quite like this...”

“Well, I don’t think I ever have either, so,” Heat now rose to Rei’s face. “Why don’t we just see where it goes?”

“I…” Keito met Rei’s eyes again. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Keito reached out to hold Rei’s face, and their lips met again, more intensely this time. Rei leaned back, wrapping his hands around Keito’s waist to bring him closer, and Keito’s elbows rested next to Rei’s neck, which made it easy for Keito to run his fingers through Rei’s hair. Rei's hair felt soft and wavy, and when he adjusted his hands, a scent wafted that Keito enjoyed, causing him to hum unknowingly. Rei responded by deepening the kiss, slightly smiling into it.

“Oh, wait, you never answered my question though,” Rei pulled away, catching his breath.

“What?” Keito scowled, moving from on top of Rei to lie beside him, folding his arms. “Of course I’m awake… I was thinking of asking if you had any tea earlier, but it’s fine.”

“I thought so,” Rei smiled, thinking of how Keito’s current frown reminded him of the expression he had when Rei first saw him. “I do have tea though. How about I make some later, after we--”

“Wait!” Keito shouted, turning on his side to face away from Rei. “Don’t say it.”

“Fine,” Rei hugged Keito from behind. “After I change my sheets.”

“That’s...” Keito’s face flushed again, his scowl remaining. “You're awful. Let’s just get on with already, before I change my mind.”

“Alright, okay~” Rei laughed, getting up to walk toward his window and close the curtains. He didn’t want there to be too much light in the room from the sunrise, as it would sap away his current vitality. Rei then returned to his bed, amused to see that Keito’s frown persisted.

“I wonder what kind of faces you’ll make,” Rei smirked, moving on top of Keito. “Anything but that one, I hope.”

Keito couldn’t find a response to Rei, only a continuation of his flustered state. He grabbed Rei’s necklace to bring their lips together again, and they resumed their exchange of untapped desires. Keito let Rei’s hands roam around under his shirt as they kissed, and Keito moved slightly so that Rei could pull his shirt off and throw it aside.

Onto the shirt that now lie face up on the floor, a ray of light filtered through curtains that Rei had shut earlier, causing the shirt’s golden lettering, ‘DEADMANZ’, to gleam in the dark.

**Author's Note:**

> hello and thank you so much for reading!! this was so self indulgent, and my first time writing anything remotely spicy... I really wanted to write more for them but anyways. I put my heart into this bc I love reikei! I decided to write them in AU rather than yumenosakiverse bc I wanted them to be more angst/backstory free, and also bc we don't know too much about their relationship? (happyele... pls give us a deadmanz reminiscence) but I did take what we have about them and their characters into lots of consideration and used canon facts to move my writing along (my favorite being how rei's speciality is jazz dance... :'D)


End file.
